WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being issued by iSolon.org:

In an hour-long radio debate on WOLB-AM Thursday, October 21, Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Governor Robert Ehrlich supported a "yes" vote on the Nov. 2, 2010 ballot referendum on whether or not to convene a state constitutional convention in Maryland. As reported by AP reporter Brian Witte, O'Malley and Ehrlich clashed on many points but had a rare point of agreement when debate moderator Larry Young asked about the con-con question:

Young [host of the debate] asked the two candidates about their thoughts on holding a constitutional convention. Voters will have a chance to call one on a ballot question that comes up once every 20 years.

Ehrlich said he believes the idea has "an upside," particularly in a state that has been dominated by a one-party Democratic "monopoly."

"An opportunity to modernize state government, an opportunity to engage in this process, might be beneficial to the state," Ehrlich said. "We'll see. It's something that has not been, quite frankly, a major issue in our campaign, but I think people need to have an open mind about it."

O'Malley said he believes a constitutional convention "can be a very positive thing."

"If that's what people want to do then that's what we should do," O'Malley said.

On Friday, Oct. 22 from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm at the National Press Club, leading state constitutional scholars will discuss the state constitutional convention referendums on the Nov. 2 ballots in Maryland, Michigan, Montana, and Iowa. This is an opportunity for reporters to get background information on this important item on the Nov. 2 ballot. Event details are available at http://isolon.org/Events/IsStateConConPhobiaJustified.html. Please note the time of the event. An earlier press release for this event mistakenly marked the time as 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm.